PETER PAN: THE BOY WHO HATED MOTHERS Set for The Blank Theatre, Now thru 6/2

The Blank Theatre has announced that casting is complete and rehearsals are underway for Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers by Michael Lluberes, directed by 2012 Ovation Award-winner Michael Matthews. Previews begin tonight, April 20, and opening is Saturday, April 27 at 8pm. The engagement will run through June 2.

This radically fresh retelling of the JM Barrie classic explores the original ideas and inspirations behind the iconic fantasy of Peter Pan. Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers is a dark new retelling of the story of the boy who wouldn't grow up. This is 'Peter Pan' as you have never seen it before, but how it was always meant to be told. "This dark, disturbing, yet magical adaptation based on JM Barrie's original ideas behind Peter Pan is one of the most thrilling scripts I have read in years," said The Blank Artistic Director Henning. "Michael Lluberes' adaptation and Michael Matthews' visionary direction are a perfect match. I am excited for our audiences to experience Peter Pan as they have never experienced it before."

Playwright Michael Lluberes' other plays include The Boy in the Bathroom and The Geranium on the Windowsill Just Died. He has directed productions of Twelfth Night, Nighttime Traffic, and 1,000 Cats. Lluberes is also an actor, having appeared in the National Tour of Dirty Dancing, and Off Broadway in American Dreams: Lost and Found, Pudd'nhead Wilson, The Taming of the Shrew, As You Like It, and Heaven Knows. He is the recipient of The American Harmony Prize, an NEA New Artist Initiative Award, and Hambidge and Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Fellowships. He is a graduate of The North Carolina School of the Arts, a member of The Acting Company, Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab and The Dramatists Guild. www.MichaelLluberes.com

Michael Matthews directed the 2012 intimate theatre premiere of The Color Purple, The Musical, which won six Ovation Awards, including Best Director of a Musical. Also in 2012, his production of What's Wrong With Angry? was Ovation Award-nominated, including Best Director of a Play. Matthews is the winner of two 2011 NAACP Image Awards for his direction of The Women of Brewster Place and Take Me Out, both at Celebration Theatre. He has directed The Blank's productions of The Santaland Diaries, The Jazz Age and The Temperamentals. His most recent production, Wolves by Steve Yockey, is now running at Celebration Theatre. www.MichaelMatthewsDirector.com.

The cast of Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers will feature (in alphabetical order) Liza Burns, Benjamin Campbell, Jackson Evans, David Hemphill, Trisha LaFache, Amy Lawhorn, and Daniel Shawn Miller. Set design is by Mary Hamrick, lighting design is by Zack Lapinski and Tim Swiss, costume design is by Kellsy MacKilligan, and sound design is by ReBecca Kessin. The stage manager is Rebecca Eisenberg; Sarah Bauer and Stephen Moffatt serve as producers.

Preview performances of Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers begin tonight, April 20 at 8pm, and continue Sunday, April 21 at 2pm, and Tuesday through Friday, April 23 - 26, at 8pm. Opening is set for Saturday, April 27 at 8pm. The regular performance schedule will continue on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm, and Sunday at 2pm, through June 2. All seats are $30, and may be purchased online at www.TheBlank.com, or via phone by calling (323) 661-9827.

The Blank's 2nd Stage Theatre is located at 6500 Santa Monica Boulevard (at Wilcox), in Hollywood.

Pictured: Cast of Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers at The Blank Theatre, with director Michael Matthews. L to R (front): David Hemphill, Amy Lawhorn, Trisha LaFache, Liza Burns, Daniel Shawn Miller, Michael Matthews. L to R (back): Jackson Evans, Benjamin Campbell. Photo by Matt Graber.

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